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Bunny dream turning into nightmare under lockdown!

Hello all,
I got 3 rabbits from the same litter - two boys and a girl. One of the first things I did was to book a neuter/spay appointment. When lockdown started I got a call to say they were cancelling the appointment and I was left with bunnies who've had no vaccinations and all 3 are 'intact'. I kept the girl separate but there were several accidents - boys got into her cage and she got into theirs. I've learned from my original errors and the cages are more secure now - no litter as yet. However, my boys, who were so loving and tender with each other for weeks, have had a terrible fight - fur literally flying! I kept them apart all day and then tried them together and they fought immediately, even more viscous than before! I knew it was supposed to happen but they'd been given a lot of space and things to do and it seemed to be paying off. I'd intended them all to live together now I need 3 cages and my bunnies will all be sad and lonely. I know lockdown won't last forever but my fear is that pre-neutering behaviours will carry on into post-neutered life and they will never get on again. It's devastating to see that relationship broken. I can't believe vets don't count this as an essential operation! It feels like my buns are in jeopardy now. They will each get a good amount of time out of the cage (they are house bunnies) but they won't have each other. If they don't bond, I don't know how I will rotate their time out of the cage once I go back to work.

Does anyone fancy my chances of bonding them again? I'm feeling very despondent. Any advice or words of encouragement would be gratefully received. Ta
 
Oh no, I'm sorry you're in this situation :(

I work at a vets and we had to cancel 'routine' appointments and only see emergency and urgent cases on a no contact basis. However, more recent advice from the RCVS and BVA have said on a case by case basis we can now consider rabbit neutering if it comprises pet welfare, have you contacted your vets recently to check their stance on this? If you can email or Facebook may be best as phone lines are likely to be very busy depending on your area. Each vet will be different but they may be able to book the op, however if they say they're unable to help it is for good reasons. It's not just about reducing contact/social distancing, there is also an oxygen shortage as it's needed for hospitals so certain vet practices need to prioritise this for emergency cases only.

In my experience pre-neutering behaviours have not continued after neutering so hopefully your bunnies can still be bonded once hormones have died right down and the males are no longer fertile (6-8 weeks post neuter), so I do hope this is the case for you. Trio's can be a bit tricky, especially two boys but if bonding is done carefully I hope they can be happy together. You'd need a neutral space for bonding where no bunny has been to increase your chances of success.
 
Oh no, I'm sorry you're in this situation :(

I work at a vets and we had to cancel 'routine' appointments and only see emergency and urgent cases on a no contact basis. However, more recent advice from the RCVS and BVA have said on a case by case basis we can now consider rabbit neutering if it comprises pet welfare, have you contacted your vets recently to check their stance on this? If you can email or Facebook may be best as phone lines are likely to be very busy depending on your area. Each vet will be different but they may be able to book the op, however if they say they're unable to help it is for good reasons. It's not just about reducing contact/social distancing, there is also an oxygen shortage as it's needed for hospitals so certain vet practices need to prioritise this for emergency cases only.

In my experience pre-neutering behaviours have not continued after neutering so hopefully your bunnies can still be bonded once hormones have died right down and the males are no longer fertile (6-8 weeks post neuter), so I do hope this is the case for you. Trio's can be a bit tricky, especially two boys but if bonding is done carefully I hope they can be happy together. You'd need a neutral space for bonding where no bunny has been to increase your chances of success.

I agree with this. you have done the right thing separating them for now.fingers crossed they will rebond once they are spayed and neutered and their hormones have subsided.
 
Sorry to read you are in this position. I am waiting for a young boy to be neutered and worry his litter training won't be as successful. I am pretty confident that once neutered you will be able to bond the girl with one of the boys but can't guarantee that all 3 will bond.
 
Can you recheck with your vets?
Several near us are certainly still doing vaccinations, it would also be worthwhile mentioning the fight and asking about neutering as well
Richard

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Thanks so much everyone - this was really useful and encouraging. I'm definitely going to try the vets again and see if there's any chance of getting the op. I've just reconfigured the cages so they are all sorted, although this has turned my hair grey!! But at least they've all got space, company (through the mesh) and finally enough litter trays! They're great buns. I still don't regret it despite everything!
 
Rabbits are very good at turning the hair grey, although mine is still the same colour as it has always been and after 20 years of keeping rabbits and 75 I suppose I can't grumble. They can create a lot of worry though and quite often don't do exactly what you are hoping they will do. Maybe, if the boys still fight post neuter you can have 2 pairs?
 
Hi tonibun, that's exactly what I was thinking. Is that an option when buns don't bond? I was thinking that if they won't go back as a trio I could adopt a doe for one of the boys. I'm intending that they have the run of the house eventually (lots of bunny-proofing to do obviously).
 
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